CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE DEPARTMENT OF CINEMA AND TELEVISION ARTS CTVA 210: Film and Television Esthetics Fall 2018 3 units # 11991 Manzanita Hall 100 Thursdays 8:00 am - 10:45 am Class Website http://www.csun.edu/~med61203 Professor: María Elena de las Carreras, Ph.D. Office: Manzanita Hall 194 Office Hour: Thursdays, 11 am Main Office Phone for messages: (818) 3192 E-mail: delascarreras@csun.edu Focus of the Course CTVA 210 is an introduction to the art of film and its evolution as a medium of expression. The course will survey films, filmmakers and film movements that have been decisive in the consolidation of cinema as an art form. It will also cover the diverse possibilities presented by the cinematic art form, including narrative, editing, cinematography, mise-en-scène and sound. The aim of this course is to familiarize the students with a variety of films, classic and contemporary, American and international, mainstream and experimental. The course will take advantage of the CSUN Cinematheque semester-long program on film authors and genres to hone the writing and analytical skills of the students. They are required to attend at least two of these screenings. Required Textbook Looking at Movies. And Introduction to Film. 5 th edition, by Richard Barsam and Dave Monahan. New York and London, Norton, 2016. Course Requirements The class meets once a week for three hours of lecture, discussion and screenings. Attendance is obligatory. There will be four graded assignments: a library-based research paper, a narrative segmentation paper, a film analysis paper, and a final exam. Papers are due by 8:00 am of the day indicated. Papers submitted after that time, but before the next scheduled meeting, will be lowered by two thirds of a grade. Papers submitted after the next meeting, but before two weeks have passed will be reduced one full grade. Papers later than two weeks will not be accepted. There will be separate handouts on the papers. 1
Each week there will be an obligatory short essay or research project, examining issues discussed in the textbook, in specific articles and in the films screened during that day. These weekly assignments will be part of your attendance and participation portion of the grade. They are due at the beginning of each class meeting, but collected the day of the Midterm, October 25 (weeks 2-8), and the last day of class, handed in with the Final Exam, December 13 (weeks 10-15). Viewing List The students will see the following films, outside of class. They will be the focus of the first and second assignments, and clips of them will be part of the final exam. Amores perros (Mexico, 2000, Alejandro González Iñárritu) The Children of Heaven (Iran, 1997, Majid Majidi) Chungking Express (Hong Kong, 1994, Wong Kar-wai) Do the Right Thing (USA, 1989, Spike Lee) Italian for Beginners (Danemark, 2000, Lone Scherfig) Run, Lola, Run (Germany, 1998, Tom Tykwer) The Shop around the Corner (US, 1940, Ernst Lubitsch) Three Colors: Red (France/Poland, 1994, Krzysztof Kieslowski) These films are on reserve at the Music & Media Library, located on the second floor, East Wing, of Oviatt Library. You can also rent them through online services like Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime, or from the following video stores: CINEFILE - 11280 Santa Monica Blvd [next to the Nuart Theater] West Los Angeles (310) 312 8836 EDDIE BRANDT S SATURDAY MATINEÉ - 5006 Vineland Avenue North Hollywood (818) 506 4242 VIDÉOTHÈQUE - 1020 Mission Street, Suite J South Pasadena, CA 91030 (626) 403 6621 All requirements must be completed satisfactorily to pass the class. There is no make-up final exam or repeat screenings. Assignments Dates and Grade Breakdown Library-based Research Paper 20% October 11, 2018 Midterm 20% October 25, 2018 Film Analysis Paper 20% November 29, 2018 Final Exam 20% December 13, 2018 Attendance, participation and weekly essays 20% 2
Class Accommodations If you have a disability and need accommodations, please register with the Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) office or the National Center on Deafness (NCOD). The DRES office is located in Bayramian Hall 110 and can be reached at (818) 677-2684. NCOD is located on Bertrand Street in Jeanne Chisholm Hall and can be reached at (818) 677-2611. If you would like to discuss your need for accommodations, please contact me to set up an appointment. Plagiarism Plagiarism (from a Latin word for kidnapper ) is more than simply taking the words of others and presenting them as your own; it is also taking the ideas of others and presenting them as your own. If you use another author s words or ideas, you must cite them in a proper format. Plagiarism and dishonesty will not be tolerated in any form. All suspected cases will be automatically turned over to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action. Student Learning Outcomes * Explain and reflect critically upon the human search for meaning, values, discourse and expression in one or more eras/stylistic periods or cultures. * Analyze, interpret, and reflect critically upon ideas of value, meaning, discourse and expression from a variety of perspectives from the arts and/or humanities. * Demonstrate ability to engage and reflect upon their intellectual and creative development within the arts and humanities. * Use appropriate critical vocabulary to describe and analyze works of artistic expression, literature, philosophy, or religion and a comprehension of the historical context within which a body of work was created or a tradition emerged. * Describe and explain the historical and/or cultural context within which a body of work was created or a tradition emerged. Course Objectives Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: * demonstrate a familiarity with the nature of film and television as a technology, business, cultural product, entertainment medium and art form. * demonstrate a knowledge of the formal aesthetic elements of motion pictures and how they are used to create cinematic art. * demonstrate an enhanced visual literacy through an increased awareness of film s complex role and function in society. * demonstrate the ability to critically analyze, interpret, and write about films and electronic media using film-specific language. 3
CTVA 210 Fall 2018 Professor María Elena de las Carreras Topics, Screenings and Readings * DATES TOPICS READINGS SCREENINGS 1. August 30 Introduction to the course What makes film an art form? The Lumière Brothers First Films (1897-1996) 60 min Picasso and Braque Go to the Movies (2008) 60 min 2. September 6 Film as art, a technology and a business How to analyze a film Chapter 11: How the Movies Are Made, pp. 457-468 The Five Formal Elements of Film - Reading in Dropbox folder The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011, Mark Cousins) Episode 1: The World Discovers a New Art Form (1895-1918) 60 min 3. September 13 Film form Narrative in Film Library workshop (in class) Chapter 1: Looking at Movies, pp. 2-14 Chapter 2: Principles of Film Form, pp. 36-45 West Bank Story (USA, 2005, Ari Sandel) 21 min 4. September 20 The consolidation of film language: D.W. Griffith Chapter 2: Principles of Film Form, pp.45-58 Chapter 3: Types of Movies, pp. 67-83 The Battle of Elderbush Gulch (1913, D.W. Griffith) 29 min Un chien andalou (1929, Luis Buñuel) 16 min 5. September 27 Narrative genres Chapter 3: Types of Movies, pp. 85-111 The Wizard of Oz (1939, Victor Fleming) 102 min 6. October 4 Editing Soviet Montage Chapter 8: Editing, pp. 317-353 Chapter 10: The Soviet Montage movement, pp. 421 424 Editing examples Man with a Movie Camera (USSR/1929, Dziga Vertov 68 min 4
7. October 11 German Expressionism Library-based research paper due Chapter 6: Cinematography, pp. 211 233 Chapter 10: Film History, German Expressionism, pp. 421 424 M (Germany/1931, Fritz Lang) 8. October 18 Cinematography Chapter 6: Cinematography, pp. 233-263 Cinema Europe The Other Hollywood (1995) Part III: The Unchained Camera 60 min 9. October 25 Midterm Classic Hollywood Cinema Chapter 10: Film History, the Classical Hollywood style, pp. 414-418; pp. 424-428 One Week (US/1920, Buster Keaton) 25 min 10. November 1 Mise-en-scène Chapter 5: Mise-en-scène, pp. 163 196 Wagon Master (US/1950, John Ford) 86 min 11. November 8 Mise-en-sène Chapter 5: Mise-en-scène, pp. 196-203 Chapter 7: Acting, pp. 272 308 Un chien andalou (1929/France, Luis Buñuel) 16 min 12. November 15 Italian Neorealism Chapter 10: Film History, Italian Neorealism, pp. 428-430 Bicycle Thieves (Italy/1948, Vittorio De Sica) 93 min 13. November 22 Thanksgiving 14. November 29 French New Wave Film analysis paper due Chapter 10: Film History, French New Wave, pp. 430-433 Breathless (France/1960, Jean-Luc Godard) 89 min 5
15. December 6 Sound Chapter 9: Sound, pp. 363-385 Citizen Kane (1941, Orson Welles) 119 min 16. December 13 Final Exam 8 am 10 am * Other screenings, events and readings may be scheduled during the semester, with notice. GUIDELINES FOR THE ARMER THEATER There is ABSOLUTELY NO EATING OR DRINKING in the Armer Theater. DO NOT bring ANY food or drink in the theater especially GUM! No form of wheeled personal transportation (skateboards, skates, scooters, etc.) is allowed in the Armer Theater. DO NOT put your feet on the backs or armrests of the seats. Please refrain from any talking or conversations during the screenings. No sleeping will be allowed during class sessions or film screenings. Turn off ALL cell phones and electronic devices this includes laptop computers, pads, and tablets. (Assistive technology excepted). Absolutely NO text messaging during class lectures, discussions, or screenings. Please be considerate of your professor and fellow students. Violators of any of the above guidelines will be asked to leave the theater. 6